Ross speaks on topics including Indonesia, Bali, Cancer and wellness. Also on social matters within our community.

Friday, March 13, 2015

Fuzzy heads prevail as execution fiasco continues

“Australia offers to pay Indonesia for the Bali
Nine duo to serve a life sentence”

This
headline stunned not only many Australians but also added fuel-to-the- fire of
anti-Australian sentiment that now prevails throughout Indonesia. Are we
seriously saying to Indonesia that we will cover their costs of keeping Myuran
Sukumaran and Andrew Chan in jail for the next forty or fifty years if Indonesia
will spare their lives? Are we seriously suggesting to President Joko that we
feel the only reason why he has rejected their clemency pleas is to save money?

The
almost irrational comments from Australia’s foreign minister follows equally
irrational comments last week by a senior Indonesian minister that, "...a
tsunami of 10,000 asylum seekers could be unleashed on Australia" in
revenge for complaints about the executions of the Bali Nine duo.

Co-ordinating
Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno, was
quoted on Indonesia’s Metro TV as saying he would release thousands of asylum
seekers if Australia continued to upset Indonesia by interfering in his
country’s internal affairs. His comments come shortly after a senior
agriculture official, Director-General, Syukar Iwantoro, 'dared' Australia to
ban the export of cattle to Indonesia as retribution for the execution of the these
two men.

All of
these comments should be seen as 'silly' and unhelpful in the current highly
emotional environment, but they also represent a dangerous escalation of the
war of words between senior officials from both countries.

Prime Minister
Tony Abbott certainly can be blamed for taking this issue from one about two Australian
drug smugglers on death row, to one of Indonesian sovereignty and nationalism,
following his recent Tsunami Aid for Aceh comments, but the Indonesian
response has also been excessively reactionary and inflammatory.

The
Koin- for-Australia campaign has further galvanized opinion in Indonesia
about standing-up to foreign countries which are perceived to be bullying
Indonesia on matters of their independence and sovereignty. This campaign -
albeit quite clever - has been run by what many would call 'feral' groups who
want nothing more than to cause trouble and destabilise relations between our
two countries, and they have used social media very effectively.

Meanwhile,
the handling of the planned execution of Sukumaran and Chan by Indonesian officials
has become a debacle and is quite rightly being now seen internationally as
cruel and insensitive as we see yet another delay and change-of-plans.

Indonesian
President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo leads a new government that is under much stress
with numerous ministers appearing inexperienced and naïve, whilst the president
himself seems either disinterested in foreign matters (as was originally
predicted by many commentators) or oblivious to the ramifications of bad and
disorganised foreign policy on the run.

The first
thing President Joko needs to do is to stop every minister and senior public
servant throwing in their 'two bobs' worth about the execution issue and openly
criticising Australia’s response to the unfolding events. Yet he does nothing,
further hardening the opinion that he is indeed a very weak and ineffective leader,
despite his outwardly tough stance on the death penalty issue.

A number
of national ministers, who have a strong allegiance with a former president,
and Jokowi’s party leader, Megawati Sukarnoputri, appear to feel they can say
what they want, irrespective of the implications it may have in terms of the
bi-lateral relationship. Fortunately, the voice of the Indonesian Ambassador to
Australia, Nadjib Riphat Kesoema is one of reason and wisdom. He needs to be
listened to with far more respect by his Jakarta-base colleagues.

Likewise
here in Australia, a far more measured response to the proposed executions is
critical to avoid ‘feeding’ the now very strong nationalistic furore engulfing
our northern neighbour.

So as
this terrible execution story unfolds ever so slowly, the question needs to be
asked: How bad can things get between our two countries? Regrettably, there
appears a very strong likelihood that things may get a whole lot worse, and if
these two Australian men are indeed executed in the next week or so, the
relationship between our two countries may be considerably worse than during
the East Timor crisis.

The
implications of what is now playing out are significant. Only last week the
highly respect defence expert, Professor Alan Dupont, urged Australia and
Indonesia to ‘foster closer strategic partnerships in defence’ as we witness the
rise-and-rise of China in the region and the US response to that expansion. Of
course, Dupont is right but how do we achieve that critical objective when our
two leaders don’t even talk to each other?

People
smuggling, terrorism, business and trade opportunities are further reasons that
demand close relations between Indonesia and Australia.

The next
few weeks will determine the relationship between Australia and Indonesia for
quite some time. What both sides need right now is cool heads in the knowledge
that at many levels, we still enjoy many very deep and enduring connections
with our friends in Indonesia.

What we
are getting currently though – from both sides - is a rabble of fuzzy and
irrational heads inflaming what is already a very fragile issue with
ill-considered statements that are designed to appeal to domestic audiences
whilst at considerable cost to the region’s stability and progress.

All
parties must tread with great care. Much is now at stake; and much more than
just our precious Bali holidays.